By Colin Mahoney

As Hoosiers, we can’t control the cold weather pushing down from Canada but we can control the temperature inside our homes. The difference in indoor/outdoor temperature can be more than 50 degrees. This gap is known as weather variance and it has an impact on the comfort of your home and the amount of energy used. 

There are things you can do to improve the efficiency of your home ranging from insulation to technology.

Making sure your home is properly insulated is important. This helps keep the warm air in and the cold air out. So be sure to assess your attic insulation, your chimney dampers to ensure they’re working properly, the sealing around your window frames and your floorboards — and make improvements as necessary.  

Technology can help too. I recommend starting with a HVAC tune-up if you haven’t already done so this season. When this system is operating properly, it should efficiently heat and distribute the air in your home. 

Technology can also help automate the heating of your home. Smart thermostats manage how and when your HVAC system runs. These units take the temperature you set, let’s say 68 degrees, and work to maintain that temperature in the most efficient way by adapting to your routine. 

An easy way to increase the efficiency of your home is to make sure your ceiling fans are pushing air downward in the winter months. This will help circulate the warm air rising in your home. 

COLIN MAHONEY is the marketing and communications coordinator at WIN Energy REMC in Vincennes, Indiana